Escapement mechanism for webdispensing apparatus



Dec. 4, 1956 R. TANSLEY ESCAPEMENT MECHANISM FOR WEB-DISPENSING APPARATUS- Filed Sept. 16, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l" [at llvllllJ IN VEN TOR LJ?. Tansley ATTORNEY ,lr/al.

Dec. 4, 1956 L. R. TANSLEY 2,772,937

ESCAPEMENT MECHANISM FOR WEB-DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed sept. le, 1954 A 2 sheets-sheet 2 lill mmm!

I N VEN TOR Tansley ATTORNEY Unite EscArEtmN'r MECHANISM non wunnIsPENslNG APPARATUS Leslie R. Tansley, Columbus, hio,` assignor to White Castle System, Inc., Columbus,`l0l1io, a corporation This invention relates to Web-dispensing machines and,

Vmore particularly, to an improved timestop escapement mechanism for edecting regulated and intermittent withdrawal of a web from an associated roll. l

While the escapement mechanism of the present invention is Vadapted for general use, it has been designed especially for employment in towel-dispensing machines of the wall-mounted type employed in public lavatories or rest rooms. Such machines or appliances are provided with outer cabinets for the reception of one or more spirally wrapped rolls of towel-forming fabric webbing. Normally these machines are constructed to permit a web to be withdrawn from la supply roll placed within a machine cabinet, the web being passed through a slot in the front of the cabinet, The web is trained and actuated so that the region thereof disposed exteriorly of the cabinet is formed with a constantly maintainedloop, while the soiled or used length of `each web is returned to the interior of the cabinet. Such return is made at the same rate as fresh clean portions `of the web are r'awn out of the cabinet. f w v i To provide each patron of such a machine or appliance at any given time with a predetermined length or towel web, and to prevent waste and unnecessary withdrawal of the web from the cabinet thereof, various escapement devices have been used,.or'proposed for use, to produce' between successive withdrawals of towel webbing from the cabinetsginteivals in which the webbingis locked or held against withdrawal, and it is to the `improvement of such escapement mechanisms `that the present invention is particularly directed. f v Y A Y Among the objects and features of the inventioniare: to improve and simplify the construction `of such an escapement mechanismfand rendering the "same more reliable and positive in operation and` economicalk to manufacture than prior mechanism for accomplishing such web-feeding control; to provide for ready adjustment of the mechanism in varying the interval of time in `which the towel webbing is locked and held against withdrawal; toprovide an escapement for locking the shafts of feeding rolls employed in the guidance and withdrawal of towel webbing Vfrom an associated cabinet-mounted supply roll;

to employ a shouldered element on the shaft of a feeding States Patent() Cil roll, which element is cooperative with a stop member forming apart of the escapement and which is'movable into and out of engagement with the shoulder of said element in releasing or locking the web-advancing V`shaft or feeding roll; to provide such a movable stop member with 'a permanent magnet having poles attracted by a movable magnet-attracting body; to mount said body so that `it is slidably confined in a liquid-containing tube disposed for bodily rotation about an axis intersecting the tube midway of its length,` the tube being turnable about said axis in unison with turning movement of the web-feeding rolls of the mechanism; to form the magnetic tube-confined body with a restricted liquid-metering bore passing longitudinally therethrough, whereby upon rotation or" the tube to invert the same, A.the"magriet-attracting length-of the web passes into the interior of the cabinet 2 body is transferred from a normally lowered position in the bottom of said( tube to'an elevated position in which the rate of descent of the magnetic body in thetube is governed'substantially by the passageof displacedfliquid through the `flow-metering bore ofthe body, the arrangement being such as to maintainfthe stop member in motion-arresting engagementwith the shouldered element of the feeding rolljshafts and to prevent withdrawal of towel' webbing from the machine until thev 'inverted magnet-attractingV body settles tov the bottom of the tube and attractsl the permanent magnet of thestop member,

thelocked condition fof the. webbing prevailing during the cycle in which the tube is inverted to raise the body therein to Vthe top of the tube chamberand during the .descent of the body to the bottom chamber and into 'restored attraction with themagn'et of 'the stop member', whereby` through such Vattraction the stop member is movedto assume a feed roll and web-releasing position.

The invention consists generally in the constructions and combinations hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

ln said drawings:l

Fig. l is a vertical transverse sectional view taken through a wall-mounted towel web-dispensing machine on substantially the line 1-1 of Fig. 2 and disclosing the improved escapement mechanism of the present invention mounted therein;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentaryvertical longitudinal sectional view taken through the'machine and escap'ement mechanism on the line2-2 of Fig. l; f

mechanism, and disclosing the magnetic body in the'upper part of the internal liquid-containing chamber of the tube; Fig'. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the4 line 4 4 of-Fig. 3; Y

Fig 5 is a similar view taken on the line S- S of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates a wall-mounted cabinet of a-towel web-dispensing machine. Internally, rthe cabinet is provided at each side thereof with a stationary roll-mounting side panel 11, Vforming a supporting means for the escapement mechanism hereinafter defined, one of which being here shown, the panels 11 being disposed adjacent to'but in spaced relation from the vertical outer sidewalls 12 of the cabinet. The spaced parallel orderV of the panels 11 and the side Walls 12 provide therebetween a compartment, such as that indicated at 13. A roll 14 of fabric towel webbing is positioned on an axle shaft 15 having its ends supported and journaled in bearing openings provided in the panels 11.

A web 16 of the towelling is withdrawn from the roll and passed upwardly therefrom over a stationary rod 17 carried by the panels 11 and then trained between a pair of escapement-operating rollers 1S and 19; The web passes over the roller 19 and outwardly of the cabinet 10 through Va slot 20 provided in the front wall 21 of the cabinet. From this slot the web depends exteriorly of the cabinet totorm a usable loop L for the drying of moisture present on `the face or hands Vof the patrons of the machine. Y

The .return side of the loop projects through a slot 21 in the bottom wall 22 of the cabinet soY that the soiled and is trained around and between asecond pair of web'- drawing or feeding rollers 23 and 24rotatabl`y supported in adjacent parallel relation betweenfthe side panels 11 for suitable'deposit in the cabinet until collected and removed for laundering purposes. The two sets of rollers 18-19 and 23-23 have their rotational speeds coordinated so that the length of the loop L remains constant.

The present invention is concerned with an improved o escapement mechanism h /Lforuse in conjunction .with a Fig. 3 is an.` enlarged vertical transverse sectional view A taken through the rotary metering tubeof the escapement towel web dispensing machine of the above character, whereby to lock or hold against movement the web-feeding rollers for a predetermined period of time upon and following each incremental withdrawal of awcleanlength Gif-the towel webbing from the machine. To Vthis-end, the meehiiisrnvM, vin a preferred form thereof, comprises disk kelement 25 which is` mounted on a polygonal-shaped i'id fa siipptin-glshaftZ for the roller 18. The periphery of the element 25 is formed with a radial shoulder 27 adapted for cooperation Iwith a laterally and outwardly directed 'restrainingli'g l28 formed on the upper end of a vert slidables'topVmember29.

-The body of the member 29 is guidedfor sliding movement 'stationary strap plate Silapplied on the outer `'c'ewof the-'panel 11. lw thfplatei, the Stop meml nclu n outwardly directed foot 3i which is spaced from :the outer farce -`of 'the panel-1l and is apertured for thegreeeption 'of the threaded shank of a headed bolt 32. SllliPted on fthe bolt shank is an inverted U-shaped permanent magnet 33. `It is by virtue of the magnetic attraction 'properties 'of this magnet that the stop member is maintained 'in -the elevated roll-releasing position thereofnshown in Fig., l. n

The Aiield of the 'poles of the magnet normally includes therein a cylindrical metallic body 34 of a composition capable of attracting the permanent magnet when in its pole field. In this instance,'the body 34 is disposed Vfor movement within a sealed, internal, liquid holding charnb er of 'a timer tube 35 composed of a non-magnetic m'etal. This tube midway Vof its length is fastened by a strap 36 on the flat outer face of a centrally disposed gear wheel 37. The peripheral teeth of this gear wheel mesh on one side thereof with the teeth of a smaller gear 3? fixed on the outer polygonal Vend of the shaft '26while the teeth "on the opposite side of the gear wheel 37 mesh with those ofa vsmall gear 39 mounted on the polygonal end o'fa s'haftl 40lcarrying' the roller 23.

It will be evident in the operation of this escapement mechanism that when a patron desiresrto use a clean length VVof the towel web he will pull downwardly on the outer length'o'f fthe'web :forming the loop L, as indicated by the arrow'a of Fig. vDue to the engagement of the web, las `th`e atte'r passes between the escapement-actuating V'rollers VV-18 and 19, rotary lmotion is imparted to the shaft 26 fof V'the roller 18. The turning movement thus imparted to the shaft 26 causes rotation of the disk element lZ5 l'and Vthe gear 38, 'and the latter, inV turn, causing The body 34 has formed thereinra centrally disposed restricted bore or passageway 41. Through this bore or passageway the liquid contained in the tube chamber passes under metered How. An adjustable valve, not shown, may be provided for varying the effective diameter of the bore or passageway, or, as here used, several bodies may be provided for selective usage having bores or passageways of different diameters to supply 4different timing rates. With a bore of minimum diameter, the period of time required for the .liquid to pass through the bore to permit thebodyv 34 to descend the chamber in the tube following inversion of the latter will be at maximum Y length. vA somewhat larger diameter bore will, with the 'One 'complete -re'v'olution of the shaft 26 brings theV shoulder 27 on the disk element into engagement with the lug :28' which was Ydr'oppedon the periphery of the disk element when the tube 35 and the `body 34 was turned away ffromfth'e `magnet 33. The stop member thus re- Aleasesfand limits the rotation of the shaft 26 to one complete revolution, venabling the towel webbing to be drawn out of the cabinet accordingly, One complete -r'evolution of theigeariproduccs half 'or i8() degrees of rotationon the part of *the lCenter gear wheel 37, `because of the -factthat `said 'wheel possesses twice 'the number of gear teeth Iin its periphery las the gear -38 or the gear 39.

v' .'.Whenftheflu'g -28Y thus reengagesthe shoulder '27 ffollowing 3v60jdegeesfof turningmovement'of the shaft-26,'all

use of Athe same liquid under vconstant temperature conditions, require a relatively shorter period of time, and so. on, as will be readily understood. When the body 34 returns to its normal position in the bottom of the tube chamber and i-n the field of the magnet 33, the latter moves upwardly toward the bottom of the tube and the body 34 therein until the magnet is in contact therewith, as shown in Fig. 1. This movement causes elevation of the stop member 29 attached to the magnet and the elevation ofthe lug 28 thereby allowing free turning movement of the roll 14` and the rollers 18-19 and 23-24, whereby to enable the web 16 to be drawn outwardly a predetermined but'limited distance for patrons usage.

I claim:

l. EscapementV mechanism for governing the withdrawal of webs from rolls containing the same in a spirally wrapped form, comprising: supporting means for .such aweb-containing roll; an escapement-operating roller carried by the supporting means in spaced relation to the web roll, said roller Ybeing rotated by the passage of a web withdrawn from said roll into contacting engagenientY with the periphery of said roller; a shouldered element mounted for rotation in unison with said roller; a movable stop member carried by said supporting means in coacting relation with said shouldered element; a permanent magnet having spaced poles mounted rigidly on said stop member; a magnet-attracting body normally disposed `yin the pole eld of said magnet; a fluid-containing carrier means in which said body is movably mounted; apivotal support for said carrier means; and means responsive to roller rotation to impart turningmovement to said'carrier means, whereby to provide a timed cycle of movement for said body in which -the carrier means is positioned so that .the body is removed from the field of said magnet to cause therstop member associated therewith to engage said shouldered element and to stop roller rotationfollowing the withdrawal of a determinatelength of the web lfrom its roll, and wherein the return of said b'ody to its position of magnet attraction and roller release iis delayed by the fluid contained in said carrier rneans.

2. Escape'ment mechanism for governing the withdrawal of web'sfrom'spirally wrapped supply rolls, comprising: supporting means for the rotatable reception of a supply roll; a .rotatable escapement-actuating roller mounted on'said supporting means in spaced relation from said roll, said rollerhaving engagement with a web leadp ing from said roll and by Vwhich the roller is rotated concomitantly with the withdrawal of the web from said roll; a movable stop member carried by said supporting p from Vv`sairl'roll; said'lastnarned'means embodying a timing devce"m`ounted on "s'ai'd 'supporting means 'for rotation :about ahxe'd aXi's; meansfor transmitting rotation to nad Ytiming 'device from said roller and shouldered element in a manner in which said device rotates at a reduced rate of movement with respect to that of said element, said timer being formed with a liquid-lilled cylindrical chamber; 'a magnet-attracting body having a restricted passage, said body being disposed for move ment longitudinally in said chamber; and a permanent magnet carried by said stop member, said body being disposed, when the stop Amember occupies a web-releasing position, in the eld of attraction of the magnet, whereby to cause the stop member to assume a web-locking position of engagement with said element when the body is moved away from said'magnet by turning movement of thevtiming device. y

3. Escapement mechanism for governing withdrawal of a web from a spirally wound supply roll thereof, comprising: a supporting structure for the reception of a web roll; an escapement-actuating roller Ycarried by said structure disposed in engagement with and adapted Vto berotated by a web during withdrawal of the latter from said roll; a shouldered motion-controlling element Xed to rotate with saidv roller; a stop member movably mounted on said structure; a permanent magnet carried by said stop member; a liquid-filled timing tubel rotatable with said element at a lower rate of turning movement; and a magnet-attracting body formed with a restricted liquid passage mounted for sliding movement in the liquid contained within said tube, said body being normally disposed in the field of attraction of said permanent magnet to maintain said stop member in a webreleasing position spaced from said element, the turning of said timing tube in response to withdrawal of a web from said roll serving to elevate said body so that the liquid in said tube flowing through the passage in said body will retard the rate of descent of said body to a lowered position in said tube into the eld of. said magnet, said body when removed from the eld of said magnet throughfturning movement of said tube serving to A admit oflmovement of the magnet to bring the stop member joined therewith into motion-arresting engagement with a shoulderofsaid'motion-controlling element.

4. Escapement mechanism for governing the withdrawal of webs from spirally wrapped supply rolls composed thereof, comprising: supporting means for the rotatable reception of a supply roll; a pair of escapementactuating rollers mounted on said supporting structure r in spaced relation from said roll, said rollers having fricof the Web from said roll; a permanent magnet mounted on said stop member; a timer mounted for rotation about a fixedY axis on said supporting means, motion-transmittingl means actuated by roller rotation for imparting turning movement to said timer, said timer being formed with an elongated liquid-containing chamber; and a magnet-attracting body mounted in said chamber for longitudinal movement only, said body being formed with a restricted passage providing for a metered ilow of liquid from one side of said body to the other during gravitational descent of the body in said chamber, said body when in its lowermost position in said chamber being disposed in the field of attraction of said magnet, whereby to produce movement of said stop member to maintain the same in its normal web-releasing position, said body when removed from said field of attraction by turning movement of said timer causing said stop member to engage said shouldered elementk in precluding roller rotation.

References Cited in the le of this patent `UNITED STATES PATENTS v2,202,930 Steinerv V vJune 4, 1940 

